The NA program gives us a new pattern of living. One of the basic elements of that new pattern is regular meeting attendance. For the newcomer, living clean is a brand new experience. All that once was familiar is changed. The old people, places, and things that served as props on the stage of our lives are gone. New stresses appear, no longer masked or deadened by drugs. That's why we often suggest that newcomers attend a meeting every day. No matter what comes up, no matter how crazy the day gets, we know that our daily meeting awaits us. There, we can renew contact with other recovering addicts, people who know what we're going through because they've been through it themselves. No day needs to go by without the relief we get only from such fellowship.

As we mature in recovery, we get the same kinds of benefits from regular meeting attendance. Regardless of how long we've been clean, we never stop being addicts. True, we probably won't immediately start using mass quantities of drugs if we miss our meetings for a few days. But the more regularly we attend NA meetings, the more we reinforce our identity as recovering addicts. And each meeting helps put us that much further from becoming using addicts again.

The first thought some of us have when given the chance to help someone is What's in it for me? We stay clean, work Steps, experience freedom—and still, our diseased thinking whispers that we ought to be rewarded for our selflessness.

"I volunteered in the merchandise room at our convention right after celebrating ten years clean," a member shared. "I folded T-shirts and unboxed coffee mugs for hours, wondering all along what kind of goodie I'd get for doing my part. A mug? A shirt? At the end of my shift, they said, 'Thanks for your service!' and gave me a hug. In a matter of moments, I went from being disappointed in them to being disappointed in myself!"

The good we do for others is not limited to our service in NA. Another member wrote, "My sponsor told me to do something for someone else and keep it a secret. On my way to a meeting, I saw someone asking for change, and I bought them a sandwich. The first thing I did when I shared at the meeting was congratulate myself for being so generous."

Perfect selflessness may be out of reach, but we can always strive to be less self-centered. We don't have to disappear completely; we simply step out of the spotlight for a moment. When we feel the impulse to make a moment about ourselves, we learn to say, "Thanks for sharing," and let the impulse go.

Feeling like we are owed for our service and comparing our generosity to that of those around us are just a couple of the ways addiction seeks to separate us from others. Service and kindness help us reconnect. We keep our focus on those we are helping. We hope that the convention-goers who purchase a mug or a T-shirt look back fondly on their convention experience for years to come. We hope that the hungry person felt some relief for a little while; we hope that if we see them again, they look and feel better. We think of ourselves a bit less, we think of others a bit more, and we begin to feel gratitude.